The Feather
by Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen
Summary: World War II is slowly coming to an end. Branded as a deserter, Gilbert now moves from fighting a war, to fighting for his freedom. He learns his connections may haunt him, help him, and save him, and he's willing to do what it takes to leave his crimes behind him./ RussPruss with subplots hinting and not so hinting at other relationships. Alternate Universe.
1. The Flock

_The Flock_

_Berlin, 1945_

"Gilbert… I hear something…"

"Shhh!"

The Prussian let out the softest hiss he could manage, turning back slightly and putting a finger to his lips. No shit he can hear something, Gilbert heard it too! None of the men were sure about what exactly it was they were hearing. Gilbert thought he heard the shuffling of footsteps. When you're trapped in a winding rubble maze of a city, you never know if it's friend or foe around the corner. Considering the small squad's luck, it would be Russians. The Red are no doubt doing exactly what they're doing. Creeping and listening.

"Gilbert, I don't think we should go this way…"

"Friedrich, if you don't shut your mouth, so help me-"

A shot fired. Out of instinct, the squad ducks to the ground, hands gripping their weapons tightly, their fingers tense on their triggers. A few of the men were already fumbling to aim at the opening of the alley. It didn't take long for them to regain their senses and realize that the shot was farther off. The shuffling in the street also happened to be gone.

They rise cautiously from the ground with Gilbert making his way to the exit of the alley. He gives a quick glance before continuing out to the street slowly. When he peeked out into the open, he holds his breath, red eyes wide as he quickly flicks them around, taking in his surroundings. He spots the mouth of another alley made of rubble in a diagonal shot across the street. After one more quick sweep over, he gives a short wave of his hand, signaling his squad to follow him before trotting across the street.

There's a solid concrete wall on one side of the alley: the structure of an old building. Gilbert puts his back against the old brick, keeping himself out of view of any threats that might be lurking in the shadows of the alley. After leaning and peeking around, he keeps moving, trying to stay swift and quiet. The route they were currently trying to take cut through the middle of the city. They needed to make it from one side of the city to the other, traveling from West to East. Gilbert and his squad had been stuck in the city for four days. They had already lost two in their squad, leaving their number at a mere seven men. Every day, Gilbert has a weight that settles in his stomach from the time he wakes up till the time he's asleep again, worried that they may lose another at any moment. He knows they're no match against the Red Army. Not just his little squad, but the remnants of Germany's army as well. Everything is in chaos. Direct orders are getting jumbled and mixed, no one knowing what's truly going on, troops are running around in a panic, trying to protect their home but having no proper instruction on how to do that. Ammunition is low, troops are low, food is low, everything is low. Everything is generally one huge mess. And while he would never, ever say it out loud, Gilbert is honestly questioning the Fuhrer and his direction.

His stomach growls and he grips his gun tighter, almost afraid that someone unwanted could have heard it. Instead of the ambush he was stupidly expecting, he hears another growl behind him. They're all hungry and they're all tired. He takes a moment to think, pursing his lips slightly as he does so. He looks back at his men. Hugo gives him an apologetic look for the sound his stomach made. The albino gave a soft sigh and headed to the end of the alley, looking around at the new street. After a few more thoughtful moments, he spots a door stuck on an intact building. He makes up his mind and heads over.

The building must have been an old hospital, the Eastern half being blackened by some sort of fire. Gilbert kicks the door open and heads inside, his rifle at his shoulder, sweeping side to side, read to fire if need be. He walks slowly, listening and looking. The only thing he hears is the soft footfalls of the men behind him and it gives him a small sense of comfort. He didn't feel anyone was there, but the building was large. Just because there wasn't someone in the immediate area didn't mean there wasn't anyone in the building at all. Either way, he just wanted a place to rest for a bit.

He leads the squad into what seemed to have been an office of some sort. There's a desk and a few chairs tumbled over on their sides. He sits on the floor in a huff with his back against a wall. He pulls his cap from his head and runs a grimy hand through his equally as disgusting hair. How he longed for a warm bath to soothe the ache in his bones. The other men follow his example and find themselves seats, even though they were a bit hesitant at first. Emil was the only one who stayed standing, planting himself at the doorway and staring out into the hall with narrow eyes.

Emil Baecker was always a sour man. If his expression didn't put you in a damp mood, then his mouth would. He was negative and even a bit hateful. He had a short temper, anger constantly bubbling just beneath the surface of his skin. He was always spitting something unnecessary at anything and everything. Whatever he felt needed his spite, he gave it. He gave it even when it wasn't needed at all. He also felt the constant need to question Gilbert's orders. He wasn't very happy when he was put in Gilbert's squad, immediately taking a disliking to his new commander. Emil should have been at a higher rank than Gilbert, but in a way, he was sort of like the eccentric Prussian. His mouth kept granted him constant demotions. In all honesty, he's lucky he hasn't be rewarded with a bullet to his head yet. Having a man like that under his control, Gilbert realized what a little prick he must have been to his old commanders. It was definitely an eye opener and put a tick of regret at the back of his mind. If he would have just kept his mouth shut, he could have maybe hit officer ranks. Same with Emil.

Gilbert pulls a crumpled wrapper from his pocket before unfolding it. There's a small bit of chocolate left. He snaps off a square and start nibbling at it. The others do the same, either pulling out food, water, or lighting up a smoke.

He looks over at Hugo who happens to be looking at him with a sorry look. That was when Gilbert realizes he's out of about everything save for a cigarette or two. He breaks off a piece of his chocolate and hands it to him. The boy snatched it and thanks him quickly. The poor kid never had any luck with anything. Whether it was getting in trouble for something he didn't do or poking his head in the wrong situation, he always got the short end of the stick. He also happens to have a rather terrible habit of losing his food and even his gun sometimes. More than once, he's had to salvage one he's found on the ground or in rubble.

Gilbert folds the chocolate back up and sticks it back in his pocket just in time for Emil to turn around and face the relaxing squad.

"So what's your master plan, Beilschmidt? I can't help but feel like we're running around in circles." His lip twitches into a grimace.

"We probably are going in circles. I haven't got a map." Hugo shrinks slightly as Gilbert says this, frowning at his chocolate square. Yes, he lost the map.

Emil rolls his eyes. "Well if Drescher would speak up for once, maybe we wouldn't be having this problem." He waves the barrel of his gun at the man sitting next to Friedrich.

Johann Drescher acted as the squad's sniper. He was born and raised in Berlin, knowing the city like the back of his hand. Unfortunately, he suffered from a rather horrendous social anxiety disorder and had a rather difficult time properly speaking to people.

"Ey, why don't you keep your mouth shut for a good couple 'a minutes and let us rest, Emil. You ain't doin' anyone any good by antagonizing us." Veit gives a puff off his cigarette.

The redhead was a good guy to have around. He was honest, humorous, and generally optimistic. He stood up against Emil's bullshit, especially when it came to Johann. They had been best friends since the moment they met. Whatever Veit did, Johann followed and vice versa. However, because of his rather hard out edges, he and Emil fought often. Veit almost had his nose broken once by Emil. Gilbert had a hard time breaking that one up. He was a bit rough, but he was good to have around regardless.

Emil shot him a cold look, but dropped the subject, turning to face out the doorway again. Gilbert pinches the bridge of his nose, feeling an oncoming migraine. Veit offers him a hit off his cigarette which the Prussian gladly accepts. Friedrich looks at Gilbert after he finishes refitting his boot.

"So, let me ask. What exactly are we doing?"

We're meeting the 4th army on the east side of the city. We'll offer help if we can and if we're unneeded, we'll go somewhere else where we are."

"And waste more energy," Emil comments.

Friedrich gives him a look before making gagging gestures towards Gilbert who smirks in return, smoke puffing out of his nostrils with his chuckles as he hands the cigarette back to Veit. Johann leans over and mutters something in Veit's ear. His expression looks odd. He looks over to his squad leader, eyebrows raised.

"He says we're headed in the opposite direction."

Emil gives a rather dramatic sigh and at this point, Gilbert feels exactly the same.

"Wait, so not only have we been going in circles, but we're going the wrong way?" Markus, who was sitting on top of the old desk, lowers his cigarette from his mouth, giving Gilbert a rather incredulous look. Gilbert in turns glances over at Johann who gives a shy nod. Markus shakes his head. "Absolutely perfect."

"Veit, I'm going to let you and Johann lead us then." He gives Gilbert a nod and stubs out his cigarette.

Gilbert stands from his place on the floor and stretches. His body aches and his bones creak, making him feel ages older than what he actually is. He's sure everyone feels the same by now. Getting the picture, the others stand, pulling themselves together.

"Maybe we should search around here and pick up any extra supplies we can find. If there are any anyway." Friedrich suggests. Gilbert pulls his cap back on and slings his rifle over his shoulder. "Good idea. Let's go."

The squad splits up and begins scoping out the remains of the hospital. Johann and Veit head off together, Hugo and Markus went their own way, which landed Gilbert with Friedrich and Emil. Friedrich is great company and probably Gilbert's closest friend in the squad even thought they're all rather close. The two walked side by side through the halls, chatting quietly as they look around. Emil keeps to himself besides making a crude comment here and there pertaining to different subjcts in their conversations.

After searching and gathering a few things for about fifteen minutes, they meet back at the front entrance. However, when they got there, only Hugo and Markus were by the door.

"Where's Johann and Veit?" Gilbert asks before heading to the hall to see if he can spot them coming back.

"We didn't see them on our way here." Markus shrugged.

Gilbert's lips crook slightly in confusion before he begins moving down the passage. For them to be late to a meeting is always an odd thing. He walked down the corridor, about to open the double doors at the end when he hears two gunshots. His stomach immediately leaps into his throat as he freezes. He looks back and sees the incredulous stares from his squad men. All at once, they begin running through the double doors.

* * *

After the group split up, Johann and Veit headed off to the east wing of the hospital where the rubble began. There was a good amount of the building untouched by the fire in this area. It was decent enough to scope out anyway. Veit didn't really expect to find anything, but it was nice getting away from the others for a short moment. Especially Emil.

Johann was quiet as ever, walking with his weapon lowered as his side. Veit nudges him with his elbow slightly, giving him a soft smile. "Hey, don't let Emil get to you. There;s always gonna be one rotten apple in the bunch. I'm sure he wasn't trying to be personal with you."

The small Aryan gave a shrug of his shoulders, expression solemn.

"C'mon kiddo. lift your chin up. By the end of the day, we should meet up with the 4th army and we can rest a bit then."

Johann shakes his head. "Finding the 4th army means finding the front lines." His voice is soft.

They're both quiet as they dig through different rooms and offices, trying to scrounge for whatever they can find. Veit lands himself with some old antiseptic and bandages. A real lucky find to be honest. Johann turns up with extra blankets. Veit wraps them up and carry them on his pack. They walk a little further into the hospital until they turn up into what has to be the last room before the building turns into its scorched remains. The room is large and dirty, part of it retaining a grimy white of its previous glory, the other part melting into the blackened bones of the building's structure. The door shuts behind them silently.

"Looks like this is it." Veit sighs, running a hand through his odd colored hair. The silence between the two is familiar but stifling. Being a talkative guy himself, Veit didn't really understand why he was attracted to such a person as Johann. The quiet always seemed awkward to him. If it was anyone else, he would have snapped by now, but there was something about Johann that kept him grounded.

"Veit?" He snaps his friend out of his thoughts. "Why are you so happy all the time?"

Veit pauses a moment, blinking slightly. Johann doesn't look at him, keeping his blue eyes pointed to the floor. His face holds a sadness that Veit had never been able to pin point throughout their friendship. He always looks like that, but Veit hasn't pushed him to reveal anything about it.

"Well, someone's gotta do it, right? You're all so lame. Friedrich and I seem to be the only one's capable of cracking a smile now and again."

"How does it not get to you though?" I mean... I heard even Gilbert used to be a pretty positive guy a while back."

Veit shrugs. "Friedrich said something happened to Gilbert. Wouldn't say what, but since then, he's been a bit different. he's still a jerk, but a different jerk."

"I don't think he's a jerk..."

"Well, not that kind of a jerk." Veit walks forward towards the more burnt part of the room, finding something shining on the blackened floor. "He's kinda like me. A bit abrasive with a loud moth who speaks his mind. Heard he used to play a lotta pranks back in the day. Friedrich tells a lot fo funny stories about him and half the time I can't believe he's talking about the same person." He turns slightly to face Johann, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Guess whatever happened to him was a real life changer." He reaches down and grabs the shining piece, flipping it over in his hands.

The boy nods to him slightly. "What'd you find?"

He looks down, tilting his head in disinterest. "Just an empty shell."

Johann halts slightly, eyebrows pulling together in an odd expression. Veit drops the old brass back to the floor and wipes his hands on his pants.

"Guess we better start heading ba-" He lifts his head to see the young soldier's customized rifle pointing at him. His eyes widen barely a second before the first shot is fired. Veit immediately drops to the floor, hands flying to his head. The bullet whizzes past him and soon, a body slams on the floor next to him. It wasn't even two seconds after before Johann's gun fires again, the floor boards creaking under the weight of the second fallen.

The silence was eerie and Veit's hands were shaking. He finally looks up to his friend's face who was just as shocked as he was. He looks over to the man next to him, immediately identifying him as a red.

Johann shuffles awkwardly for a moment and after giving a quiet sneeze from the disturbed dust and ash, reaches down to help Veit back to his feet. The ginger gladly took the help and picked himself up.

"A second later and he would have shot you in the head."

Veit's stomach flips slightly, his friend immediately sensing his discomfort. Johann puts a hand on his shoulder and gives him a soft squeeze of reassurance. But the triumphant moment was short lived when they heard the door bust open behind them. Johann turned on his heel, gun already raised. Veit was quick behind him. However, being already spooked didn't help his nerves any. The moment his gun was pointed in the same direction as Johann's, he squeezes his eyes shut and pulls the trigger.

* * *

The squad ran through the halls as fast as their legs could carry them, guns at the ready. Gilbert's chest was tight and he found it difficult to breathe. Friedrich was huffing and puffing next to him as he ran, his tubbier build causing him to be a bit slower than the rest of them. Gilbert would usually slow down and run with him at his own pace, but this wasn't the time for that. He charged ahead of the group, running right along Emil.

The two twisted corners together, pushing off walls to propel them even faster through the maze of the hospital, letting their memories of the sounds lead them in the right direction (or what they thought was the right direction). Both were the first to charge through the doors into the back end of the hospital.

They had barely a moment to check the scenario. The moment they were through the doors, a shot was fired at them. In the split second of running through the door, Gilbert could definitely see that the two there were Johann and Veit. He knew it was Veit's gun that went off. Johann's mind was too fast for that sort of error. Emil must have been blind to this because he answered with his own shot.

It was a pretty luck encounter to say the least. Veit's eyes were closed when he fired. The bullet sped above Gilbert's head, lodging itself into the top part of the door frame. Emil fired and if it wasn't for Johann's sharp eyes, he would have got a hunk of lead stuck in his head. The boy ducked and as he went down, he stuck a foot out to trip Veit.

In the bustle of it all, once Gilbert had finally figured out what the hell was going on, he flew himself between them, putting his arms up and shouting. A pretty stupid thing to do with two frightened soldiers with guns in their arms, but then again Gilbert wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed either. However, his frantic yelling seemed to get their attention.

"Stop, stop, STOP!"

Emil's eyes landed on him. Johann slowly started lifting himself from the floor. The last three men were stuck together in the door frame, watching. Veit was rubbing the ass part of him that landed on the floor.

The dust and the ash began to settle finally. Once again, silence fell on them. Gilbert looked over to Johann and Veit, then to the extra two behind them. That explained the shots. He face didn't hold relief that they were dead, but alarm from them being there in the first place.

Instead of Emil making a smart ass comment, he said in a low voice, "There could be more lurking back there."

Gilbert nodded and grabbed Veit's arm, hefting him up to his feet. "He's right. I wanna get out of here."

The others nodded to him. Veit picked his gun up off the floor before looking back at the first Russian that had dropped.

_One more second and he would have shot you in the head._

* * *

After the little fiasco at the hospital, the squad rushed themselves when it came to getting back on the right route. This time, Veit and Johann were in the lead. The men were feeling a little more confident in their direction now. However, they had lost a lot of time and the sun was already starting to sink back behind the buildings.

Since they had left the hospital, Gilbert felt even more paranoid than before, constantly looking behind them and ahead, worried there'll be someone there. He was worried and afraid. After the last two, he didn't want anything to happen to the rest. They would be dead meat. They already are really, but dropping their numbers down even one more would literally be the death of them.

"Johann says we should find somewhere to sleep for the night. Ain't no use in fumbling around in the dark with most the street lamps out."

Gilbert looked up at them and nodded.

Anywhere to sleep was dangerous, whether it was a building or out on the street. Just finding a place to sleep took a lot of thinking, and Gilbert wasn't about to pick the spot again after the hospital. He figured it'd be best to go somewhere where everyone agreed on staying.

They chose a small building this time, not so much for safety, but more so considering that if anyone was already in there they'd be able to find them quick. It must have been an old store of some sort. The front looked like it held large windows which were now blasted out. It made them uneasy to be staying somewhere with large open windows, but they didn't have much of a choice anymore. They stayed in the back out of sight and kept quiet. Their meal was small and mediocre. They didn't take much time socializing with each other either. After they ate, one by one, they were down, using their packs as pillows. However, Gilbert had stayed awake to keep watch.

He sat in the door frame that led to the "employees only" section where his men were currently dozing. He lazily looked off at the front of the store, keeping his eyes on the dark street. He had sat there for about an hour and a half before his eyelids started drooping. He wasn't exactly the type to fall asleep while on watch, but he had watched the past few nights to let the others get some much needed sleep. When he heard soft footsteps behind him, he widened his eyes a moment and sat up straighter, stifling a yawn in his throat.

Emil came and nudged Gilbert's thigh with his boot, nodding his head towards the others. "Go get some sleep. We can't have someone getting in here because you decided to sleep on the job."

Gilbert shook his head before furiously rubbing at one of his eyes. "I'm fine. Go lay back down." He replied, shoving the other's boot away from him.

Emil raised an eyebrow and promptly crouched down next to his squad leader. "Excuse me if I'd rather not get pumped full of lead because my fuckin' leader decided it was a great time to take a nap while he was on watch. Go to sleep." He said again, jerking his head towards the men this time.

Gilbert glared at him but stayed put. This earned him a narrowed gaze as well. Without another word, Emil slumped down in the door frame on the opposite side of Gilbert, pulling his knees up slightly and setting his gun to his side. The two sat there, glaring at each other for a good ten minutes before Gilbert finally looked away and turned his head back out to the street. Emil did the same after him. Gilbert stifled another yawn, letting the air out through his nose instead. Emil flicked his eyes over to him.

He set his jaw and kicked Gilbert's boot hard.

"Go the fuck to sleep!"

"Why are you so eager to get me out of the way?!"

After their loud outburst, the two stared for a moment before flicking their eyes back at the sleeping men. Only Hugo stirred softly to roll over and continue his slumber. Before Gilbert knew it, he had a fist gripping the front of his uniform pulling him towards the other man.

"If you're accusing me of being up to something by urging you to get an obviously much needed rest, then my respect for you has been lost." Emil's voice was in a harsh whisper.

In the same tone, Gilbert responded. "Respect? If you respected me, you would follow my orders and quit your constant pissing and moaning. Do you even realize how much you affect everyone's moods? I don't want respect from you. I want you to respect the group."

They sat almost nose to nose, Gilbert's hand now gripping Emil's wrist tightly. Soon enough, they released each other and leaned back against the door frame.

"Gilbert, you're falling asleep, and I want the others to be safe." Emil whispered after a few minutes. The Prussian turned his gaze to his comrade then. Emil stayed staring out across the expanse of the shop front.

A sigh escaped the squad leader and he stood, picking up his rifle. He pat Emil lightly on the shoulder before heading back towards the others.

* * *

The morning was the same old routine. Everyone woke up, ate their "breakfast" and pulled their gear in order. Hopefully they'd make it to the west side by ten. That was Gilbert's goal anyway. Throughout everyone's getting ready, he sent a few glances over at Emil while he bustled about. He didn't look at Gilbert and was unusually quiet. His eyes were a tick darker underneath than the previous day.

With Veit and Johann leading them again, they set out, the light of the sun lifting their spirits. The past couple days had been enveloped in constant cloud cover. It was nice to actually have some sort of day light, even if it showed the damage to their capital city a bit clearer. They no longer walked the streets of old glorious Berlin. Now, the city was just like every other European city. Destroyed, broken, dead. Berlin had become somewhat of a ghost town, the only people inhabiting it being the ones trying to protect its old bones and the ones trying to twist the knife into the previously inflicted wound in Germany's center.

They walked the boring walk for about and hour. They were close. Gilbert didn't need to see it to feel it. He could feel the rumble of the pavement beneath his feet. The gunshots that seemed close, but never close enough was now ringing in his ears. Johann and Veit were even more cautious than usual as they walked. They all felt the sooner they met up with the others, the better. But who was it better for? They'll have the enemy to face when they're together, but they'll be larger in number. It seemed like it'd be better than just their little squad slithering around. But was it really?

"HQ is two blocks away." Veit said, "They're set up in an old shoe factory. However, we'll need to circle around and head for the back, which will be another four blocks out of the way. The front is barricaded, so we have no choice."

Gilbert pursed his lips, but nodded. What else could they do? They walked the four blocks with ease, still not running into anyone. It didn't particularly strike anyone as odd, they weren't concerned with the fact that while the Russians were there, they weren't actually _there_. They were too focused on where they wanted to be considering their delay.

When the rear of the building was in sight, Gilbert halted, curious. The windows of the building were dark and there was no one outside. He didn't see any sort of movement inside either. It was eerily quiet. That was when everyone noticed the strangeness of their journey.

"Be careful." The Prussian whispered, before slowly walking ahead of Veit and Johann.

Gilbert moved with his gun raised, listening and watching, but only hearing the footfalls of the men behind him and the queer sounds of warfare ahead. He neared the building and was soon overcast by its large shadow. He halted and looked up. It was too quiet.

"Beilschmidt."

He turned to find Emil standing over a body, the uniform striking him immediately as one of their own. Not too far from him was another body, half of him stuck in the entrance of a back door to the factory. This was bad.

"Guys-"

Gunfire erupted. Gilbert was down.

Pain seared through him, starting below and spreading like a blossoming flower. He would have been screaming if it weren't for the fact that when he hit the ground, he smacked his head on a cement block. His visioned blackened for a moment, spots of colors blooming before him, his ears ringing like the shriek of sirens. When his vision came back to him, it was blurry and the world was shaking. His body felt numb and everything sounded like someone was holding his head under water.

"Gilbert!" The voice was muffled, but familiar. The albino saw someone fall. He saw fuzzy shapes running and he saw sparks flying.

"Gilbert!" The voice was far away, very quiet. It was hard hearing anything over the loud throbbing in his head and the sound of his own ragged breathing. He felt tired, he felt sick, he felt fire, but he also didn't feel anything at all. His breath left his for a moment as he felt something heavy awkwardly crash down on him. His jaw snapped shut, he tasted blood.

And the world went black and the sounds dissipated.

* * *

**And finally- here it is! The first chapter to this doohicky a few of you have been waiting for.  
It's been a year since I wrote Break His Wings and I got such nice reviews and everyone's favorites made me squee.**

**I'm not entirely sure how long this is going to end up being and I'll try not to have huge gaps between updates. If it seems like I'm taking too long I give y'all permission to message me and kick me in the butt to get a move on because I might need it.  
I hope I can please you guys, I don't really think I've improved as a writer unfortunately, but hopefully you guys will like it anyway.  
I'll see everyone in the next chapter!**


	2. White Doves

_White Doves_

_Bremen, Germany  
__1936_

Gilbert enjoyed the mild weather that mid-spring had rought. He didn't often get to go outside when it was warm. Today it was cloudy and ideal for him. He just hoped it wouldn't rain. He didn't want to walk back home soaked.

"Gilbert, are you paying attention to me?"

He looked up to his friend sitting across from him. Her eyebrows were furrowed with growing irritation. The Prussian cleared his throat and nodded. "What were you saying?" He lifted his coffee cup to his lips.

Elizaveta rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair and toying with her own cup. They were sitting at a small table on the outside of a café. It was relatively private considering no one very well wanted to sit outside when there was cloud cover. They looked like they were threatening rain.

"You're the one who called me out here. Not that I don't enjoy just spending an afternoon with you, but whatever you wanted sounded important so I canceled my plans with Roderich. If you just wanted to hang out-" She stopped as she noticed him grimacing into his cup.

"Oh Gilbert, don't be a baby."

"So it's really going to happen..." His voice dropped, tone becoming rather solemn. His unhappiness with the turning events clear on his face.

"Of course it is. He's a good man from a good family."

"Lizzy, he's a fucking aristocrat-"

"Language, Gilbert." He shook his head quickly, waving his hands as if to swipe the comment from the air.

"All the things you love doing, you won't be able to do anymore. You'll have to sit pretty in a fancy little dress, going through boring parties, gossiping with the same kind of women you detest, lazing around the house with nothing to do; Liz, you'll be bored out of your mind. No more climbing trees, no more drinking games, no more wearing trousers, or stuffing your face, or brawling. You'll be expected to act like a lady, and don't tell me you'll be fine." He snapped the last part when he saw her mouth opening to speak.

"You complain to me all the time about the snooty women who strut around in their fur coats with their noses stuck high in the air. That's what you're going to be. You'll be sipping tea with the other ladies and snicker to each other about how much you hate your husbands."

Elizaveta fell quiet, her head lowered as she stared at her coffee. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be, Gilbert. Please." He voice was soft and her chest heaved, showing her discomfort.

Gilbert sighed and seemed to deflate. It was silent between them then, the only sounds being the usual bustle of the street. Cares passing by, vendors shouting, people walking and talking among themselves.

"Your German sounds clearer-"

"Gilbert, tell me what you called me out here for."

He gave her a long look, but their eyes didn't meet as she continued to keep her head lowered. He set his coffee cup down and ran a hand through his hair before resting his elbow on the table.

"I'm joining the army."

That got her attention. Her head snapped up, shocked, and looked at Gilbert, her eyes slightly wide. However, this expression was short lived. Her eyes narrowed and her face turned into a sour expression.

"Is this a joke? Are you trying to make me feel bad for you or something? What did you think you'd gain-"

"It's not a joke." He interrupted. "I leave in a week." He shrugged his shoulders slightly as his eyes scanned the table, this time not daring to meet hers. She was angry.

"The hell are you going to do in the army? WHat would your mother say? What about your brother? Are you stupid or something?" Her voice slowly began to raise as she continued her barrage of questions.

"Yes, I am stupid. That's why I'm going." This time he looked up. "Liz, you know I ain't cut out for none of this university shit. I'd rather be off with some sort of career than none at all, living off my mother."

"Gilbert, you don't need to go to college to find a career. You could work in a store or a factory or..."

The albino barked out a laugh. "Or what? What kind of money would I make with shit jobs like that. We're still climbing out of a recession for christ's sake! What kind of life would I be able to make myself with a 'career' like that?" Gilbert was starting to get angry. He didn't understand why Elizaveta was so against the idea. What the hell did she think he was going to do with the rest of his life? Could she really picture him being a silly little shop keep?

"You're going to die." She muttered under her breath, eyes glistening softly.

"You are too." Gilbert countered.

She looked at him then and their eyes met. A sort of understanding passed between them. Their fates were decided and there was nothing either of them could do about it. Elizaveta would be sent off, stuck in a loveless marriage out in Austria. Gilbert would be out working under the government's thumb, trying to fix the mess the country had fallen into. He reached out and set his hand on the table, palm facing up, beckoning her to take his hand.

"I'll be fine. There's no war."

Elizaveta frowned, but reached out, taking his hand gently. "But what about when there is one?"

"There won't be one. The Fuhrer doesn't want a war."

Elizaveta was silent before nodding slightly. "I wish you luck."

Gilbert's face suddenly twisted and he squeezed her hand. "Don't give me none of that horse shit. Of all the people to become distant from me, I'd rather die than have it be you."

The Hungarian woman was shocked at first by his outburst. Her face flashed a quiet fury as she glared at him, squeezing his hand hard right back at him. They stared at each other for a long while, words turning out to be unneeded at the moment. They understood. They were alike, but still so different. Their paths were to be different. They were worried for each other, each finding the other in rather unfortunate circumstances.

Elizaveta's glare reminded Gilbert of times past when they first met as children. An immature hate which soon grew to be a friendship unrivaled until finally something grew in Gilbert's heart that he would never admit to himself let alone out loud.

He broke eye contact, looking down at his drink once again.

"I imagine your mother won't be too pleased about this." Elizaveta mumbled, bringing her hand back to herself.

"She'll probably say the same thing you did."

"Well you can't blame her. She's already lost her husband to Germany's military. Imagine if she lost her eldest next." The darker woman lifted her cup and took a sip, her anger streaming into a more frigid tone which didn't make Gilbert pleased at all.

"You're the first one I told. Ludwig doesn't even know yet."

Elizaveta shook her head in disappointment. "You're going to break that poor boy's heart."

Gilbert, once again, gave a short dry laugh, resting his arm over the back of his chair. "You don't even care, Lizzy. By now, you're just trying to guilt trip me. I can see it on your face."

The rage came back.

"How dare you!" She glared daggers at Gilbert. "I look at Ludwig as if he was my own brother! Don't you tell me I don't care about him. I'll probably be the one watching over him while you're gone!"

"For how long, Lizzy?!" Gilbert's voice raised into a pained shout. His pale face began turning red as his cluster of emotions began pouring out. His words came out harshly, his lips pulling back into a sneer. "Until you're whisked away to Austria to live the life of a spoiled aristocrat's whore?!'

That was the last straw. Elizaveta stood suddenly, her chair almost flipping backwards from the force. "I hope you choke on your own tongue." She hissed, grabbing her bag and storming off down the street.

Gilbert settled into his seat, steaming as he glared at her back while she walked away. The weight of what he had done didn't sink in until she was well out of sight. He flicked his eyes to her abandoned drink, his jaw set in agitation. He would apologize the next time he saw her. He only hoped it would be within the next week.

Their entire relationship had always been bumpy. Elizaveta moved to Germany with her mother when she was about five years old. The two could barely speak German and only moved for the simple reason of having a few relatives out here. Elizaveta's father had died in the Great War, just as Gilbert's father had. Her and her mother had tried to continue living in Hungary, but with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire, it wasn't a very prosperous place to live. Then again, Germany wasn't either, considering the horrendous debt they had fallen into.

The Héderváry's had moved into the house next to the Beilschmidt's. Being the sweet woman that Gilbert's mother was, she tried to make the immigrant's feel as welcome as possible even with the language barrier. As Lizzy's mother began to speak and understand more, the two women had easily become quick friends and of course, forced their children upon each other.

Gilbert and Elizaveta detested each other. It all started when Gilbert's ball rolled into Lizzy's yard. He called for her to throw it back. She didn't understand him, but she did in fact throw it back. Threw it right into Gilbert's nose she did. Since then, the two did what any two children would. They threw things at each other, they glared at each other through their windows, the got into fights when one crossed into the other's yard or snuck over and stole a toy.

As the two grew older, Elizaveta was able to speak German a lot better, and the two could actually communicate besides shrieking at each other in their native tongues. Whenever they met at the invisible line between their yards, they would glare at each other, pass a few short words of greeting, and began playing with each other. It was a bit rough at first, but soon enough, the two became thick as thieves. They would play every day, walk together to school, contentedly color with each other. It was rare for them to be apart.

When the awkward stages of puberty came, the two had another falling out. Elizaveta's mother was trying to teach her to be a proper lady. Gilbert of course had turned into a snotty young teenager who liked picking on his younger brother and picking on Elizaveta just as harshly. The girl had tried following her mother's teachings, until Gilbert made a smart comment to her and she punched him right in the mouth. After that, she gave up on being a 'lady.' The punch straightened Gilbert up, and the two were fast friends once again. Elizaveta became a tomboy unsurprisingly, running around with Gilbert and his friends, becoming easily like one of them.

They began to mature. They quit playing their games. Elzaveta was still rather abrasive for a young woman, but she decided it was time to leave her childhood behind and began behaving a bit more properly for a girl of her age. Gilbert's obnoxious levels toned down a bit, but they were still pretty high up there. That was just who he was, though. Soon enough, Lizzy began catching his eye. The two had grown up together and went through almost everything together. He had very high thoughts of her, even admiring her a bit. She was strong and fun and unafraid. Not to mention, she had grown into a very lovely young woman. It was only a matter of time before he started feeling more and more awkward around her once again. Tension came back to their friendship, and even more so when Elizaveta happened to attract the attention of a young Austrian. He was heir to a fortune and Elizaveta's mother jumped right on that. She wanted her daughter to of course live a fine life, and she found that in Roderich Edelstein. His parents weren't too pleased about him picking out a common girl for his match, but they had a habit of pleasing their rather perfect son. So the marriage was arranged, Elizaveta keeping her mouth shut and not telling anyone if she even wanted that life or not.

Gilbert had met Roderich once and immediately hated him. Roderich was a pompous fool whose brain was only filled with that from books. He was naïve and ignorant of the world, yet he acted like a prince. Elizaveta should have known it was a terrible idea to let them meet. A fist fight had broken out very quickly, and of course Roderich got the blunt of it, Gilbert coming out basically unscathed. The Edelstein's were ready to call the marriage off when they saw their beaten son, but with much begging from Lizzy's mother and Roderich's growing interest in Elizaveta herself, the marriage stayed on. However, visits became restricted to just Lizzy and Roderich.

Gilbert was upset and confused. He didn't feel it was right, letting Elizaveta marry Roderich. He knew she didn't love him. She was going to be stuck in a boring marriage, and this scared Gilbert. He knew Elizaveta. She wasn't a woman who could be easily tied down. She was going to destroy her life there one way or another, trying to seek a thrill.

It was these thoughts that plagued Gilbert's mind as he trudged home. Of course, it began to rain during his walk. Just another thing to make his day worse. His conversation with Elizaveta was no doubt draining. He didn't think he could handle a similar conversation with his mother that day. He decided he would wait a day or two before saying something to her and simply enjoy the time with her.

He was upset. He knew everyone would treat him as if he was strutting off to his death. People didn't die during peace time. There was no war, and as far as Gilbert knew, there wasn't going to be a war. Germany was slowly being rebuilt. Anyone should be honored to serve and help make the nation great again. Gilbert wasn't cut out for anymore schooling. He wasn't a 'great mind.' He was raw and gruff despite his decent upbringing. He wasn't the scholarly type and he'd be damned if he was going to live the rest of his life getting his fingers chopped off in some factory.

He came inside through the back door, dripping wet. He took off his boots, not wanting to track any more mud into the kitchen. He heard the barks of Lulu and the clacking of her nails on the tile floor of the kitchen as she trotted up to him. Her tail wagged excitedly as she gave him happy 'welcome home' licks. Besides the noise of the dog, the house was quiet. He figured his mother was either napping or out somewhere. He rubbed Lulu's head affectionately before walking deeper into the house, beginning to strip off his damp jacket.

He walked out of the kitchen and headed to the stairs. They creaked under his weight with the first step and before he could even make it up to the first landing, he heard a voice from the living room.

"Hallo, bruder."

Gilbert came back down the stairs and turned the corner into the large living room, finding Ludwig on the couch with a book in his hands. "You're wet." The younger stated, closing his book.

Gilbert shrugged. "Guess I forgot an umbrella."

Ludwig gave him a serious look. "Gilbert, you know you shouldn't leave the house without an umbrella. And where are your glasses, you're going to go blind."

Gilbert already started rolling his eyes and walked back the stairs. "Yes mother." He teased as he trotted up the wood stairs. "Where's Ma?" He called.

Ludwig began walking after him, not very much wanting to shout up the stairs to reply. "She went to the grocery store. She was going to make you go, but you didn't get back when you said you were."

That made Gilbert's stomach drop with slight guilt. He made it to his room and began peeling his wet shirt off. Ludwig stood outside his door.

"Where were you anyway?"

"I was with Elizaveta." No sense in lying. It wasn't unusual for the two to be together. He just wouldn't tell the other on their conversation and rather sour departing.

Ludwig nodded to himself and suddenly Gilbert reappeared with dry clothes. Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "Glasses." The elder scowled and poked Ludwig's stomach, earning his hand a quick slap.

"I'm home now, I don't need them." He retorted, holding his wet clothes and walking back down stairs to put them in the laundry. Ludwig faithfully followed him. He was quiet, which wasn't unusual, but the vibes Gilbert was feeling from him put the native Prussian on edge. And then the question came.

"Gilbert, is something wrong? You don't seem like your usual self today."

What tipped the kid off? He just knew his brother extremely well. Ludwig was the complete opposite from Gilbert. The Aryan analytical, observant, and highly intelligent. He was going to make a fortune when he was older, and Gilbert knew it.

Gilbert put the clothes down and turned to face his brother. "Don't worry about it." There was no sense in lying to him. He reached forward and ruffled Ludwig's blonde hair.

"Of course I'm going to worry about it if you don't tell me what it is." Ludwig frowned, looking up at Gilbert, who in turn laughed. Quick as ever.

"I'll tell you some other time. Why don't we go play with Lulu in the living room for a bit. She seems eager for some attention."

Ludwig huffed softly, but agreed, walking with Gilbert to the living and calling for Lulu to follow. For a moment, Gilbert stood in the doorway of the living room, watching Ludwig play tug of war with the dog. He soon fell backwards on his rump as the strong Shephard yanked her bone out of Ludwig's hands and began gnawing on the treat. Gilbert smiled gently before walking into the living room.

* * *

"Mama, I have something to tell you." Gilbert slinked into the kitchen where his mother now sat at the table, sipping at a cup of tea. He shifted awkwardly in his pajamas before coming over to sit across from her.

"It's late, Gilbert. You should be asleep." She set her cup on the table and leaned forward to look at him. She was a pretty woman, retaining her youth well. She had Gilbert when she was 21, so she was still in her late 30s. Her blonde hair was let down over her shoulder and she sat comfortable in her night gown and robe. Gilbert loved his mother dearly. He was very close to her. She was always very protective of her son, especially with his slight disability. She didn't believe in favorites, but she had a stronger connection with Gilbert considering he was her first son.

"I know Ma, but this is important..." He voice was soft, his hands in his lap. For a moment, he felt like a child about to tell his parent about a bad mark in school. He knew she wouldn't be happy. Especially considering he didn't consult her about it before just signing himself up. He was worried about what she would say. He would be lost without the support of his mother.

"I know you've been pushing me to try and get accepted into a university and I know you want me to do good with my life. But Ma, you also know how... incompetent I am." He chuckled at himself then, flicking his eyes up to his mother who also cracked a smile at the comment.

"Gilbert, I know what you're going to tell me." She said then, taking a sip of tea. Gilbert blinked at her, his amused smile falling. He was positive he kept it a well guarded secret. The only person he had told was Elizaveta! It dawned on him then.

"Ms. Héderváry told me."

Of course Lizzy would tell her mother. Gilbert would make a note not to tell the girl anything again. Anything he didn't want his mother to know anyway. However, now was not the time to think about it. Looking at his mother, he knew she was getting ready to let him have it. He expected her to start yelling and scolding him. But when her mouth opened, her voice was soft.

"I was indeed upset with you, I know that's what you're thinking. But since you gave me time to think, instead of coming right up to me and saying it, I had time to come to terms with it. I believe you'll be alright. Actually, I know you will be. Because you're going to promise me."

She raised a mothering finger and Gilbert smiled, nodding. "Of course. I promise I'll be alright."

"You're a good boy, Gilbert. You have a fire in you , just like your father. You're my son, and I know you. I should have seen it coming. Both you and your father were military men." She laughed softly. "Besides, they can whip some discipline in you."

Gilbert choked out a laugh and that was when he realized his eyes were moist. He was happy. He didn't want to fight with her. This was the best reaction he had gotten and he was so happy.

"Come here, baby." She opened her arms to him and he got up, coming over and giving his mother a warm hug. She rubbed his back soothingly. "When are you leaving?"

"Monday, I'm leaving." He muttered, resting his head on her shoulder. She sighed softly and kissed his forehead.

"You'll be okay, Gilbert." She hummed softly to him like she used to when he had trouble sleeping. Gilbert rest against her slightly, taking in her warmth. He would miss his mother dearly. He would have to take her out every time he came home. Her and Ludwig.

Gilbert had quickly fallen asleep in his mother's arms. She patted him awake about twenty minutes later and sent him back upstairs to bed. He complied and headed upstairs, wishing her sweet dreams. When he got to his bedroom door, he stopped with his hand on the knob. He looked at the door across from his, the one which led to Ludwig's room.

He opened the door quietly and peeked inside. There was a lump in the bed, sleeping soundly. The boy's head was under the covers to shield his face from the moonlight streaming into the room. It was rather bright tonight. Gilbert came inside and shut the door behind him and sauntered over to the bed. He pulled the cover back slightly, exposing Ludwig's sleeping face. After a moment, he climbed into the bed, snuggling up close to his younger brother. After a moment, Ludwig turned over, facing Gilbert. He opened his eyes and was somewhat surprised to see crystal blue eyes staring at him.

"You're awake."

Ludwig nodded. "I was on the staircase. I heard you talking to mother."

Gilbert's eyes fluttered closed and he sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you yet. It's a bit of a sore subject, as you can imagine."

Ludwig nodded his head. "I'm sad for you to go, Gilbert. I know I tell you how much you annoy me and get on my nerves, but I do love you Gilbert. You're my brother. But I understand that this is something you want to do. And you're right... You wouldn't do good in university."

Gilbert smiled and touched Ludwig's nose. "That fate is for you. You're gonna be someone some day, Ludwig. Mark me."

"Consider yourself marked." Ludwig said softly, his eyes closing once again as he tried to relax and fall back asleep. Sleep came easy for Gilbert. He felt a lot better about his decision. He had an unpleasant encounter with Elizaveta, but his family was understanding.

His mother and brother and him lived comfortably. But now he can send money back for his mother to have a bit extra lying around. Maybe it could help with a college fund for Ludwig. That was one thing he was worried about. He didn't like not being there for Ludwig. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with him.

And he did just that. The past couple of days, he did as much as he could with his brother. He took him out to do things, sat around with him in the house, read with him, and basically did all the boring stuff Ludwig found 'fun.' He didn't mind sitting through it. He also took the time to help his mother out a lot more than usual.

Saturday came and Gilbert realized it had been a while since he'd seen Elizaveta. He left Monday, and he still hadn't seen her to apologize. She didn't come over, he didn't see her in the yard or in town. It was like she had disappeared.

And with that thought, he was worried. He didn't want to think about her being gone already, which was a rather ridiculous thought. He didn't know when the wedding was, but it wouldn't be for a little while longer at any rate. But still, he was afraid of the priss stealing Lizzy away before he could say anything to her.

He walked up the steps of the front porch, the creaking of the wood beneath his boots all too familiar. He didn't even need to come knock on the door for it was already being opened by the elder Hungarian women. Elizaveta's mother greeted Gilbert with a smile, opening the door for him.

"Do you need something Gilbert?" The elder woman asked, opening the door to invite Gilbert inside. He stayed comfortably on the front porch. He cleared his throat.

"Yeah, uh, is Lizzy here?" He asked, peeking around the woman into the house, finding he couldn't really see much i side.

Mrs. Héderváry frowned, a sorry look on her face. "Oh, no, I'm sorry Gilbert," She started, her accent melting with her German, "Roderich is up from Vienna to visit. He took her out today. I'm sorry."

Gilbert looked at her for a moment, his jaw setting hard. He felt like blowing up, but he wouldn't. It wasn't Elizaveta's mother's fault and she was a nice woman, she didn't deserve him taking his anger out on her.

"I see... Thank you." He started to turn to head off the porch.

"Would you like me to tell her you stopped?" She called after him.

He paused for a moment, thinking before shaking his head. "Don't bother. I'll tell my mother you said hello. See you later Mrs."He gave her a half-hearted salute before tromping off the porch.

* * *

"So, a little bird told me that your friend was joining the military."

Elizaveta looked up from her plate, meeting her suitor's eyes as he lifted his teacup to his lips. Lizzy had been rather sore since her last encounter with Gilbert. Sore to the point that she didn't even want to see anyone, not even Roderich. However, her mother encouraged her to meet him, considering he had more in likely come up from his home country to see her. Her mother didn't understand that she didn't need to impress him anymore. While he was rather good with suppressing his emotions, she could tell he was rather smitten with her despite her humble upbringing and Gilbert's constant sabotaging.

"He is," She started setting her fork down, "But I'm uninterested in his future plans at the moment."

"Oh?" Roderich raised an eyebrow before setting his cup back down on his saucer. "Why the change? I know you and he are quite close. Did something happen?"

Lizzy's lips pursed, her eyes flicking down to the table, not wanting to make eye contact with Roderich. "I don't care right now."

Roderich was silent, studying her face for a moment. There was a rather awkward tension floating about Elizaveta and it was making him rather uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak, but the girl cut him off.

"So how are thing in Vienna? I heard you were having trouble, but I didn't quite understand…"

Roderich rolled his eyes, lips curling in annoyance, his previous thoughts immediately fluttering away. "It is quite ridiculous, Elizaveta. The fact that a name alone can hinder an empire's success."

She tilted her head slightly, "I don't get what you mean."

Roderich sighed. "Elizaveta, my last name is Edelstein. I don't know how adept you are to surnames and their origins, but I'm sure you are aware of the anti-Semitic movement going on at this moment." He put a hand to his chest. "My family has Jewish blood. However, the Edelsteins converted to Catholicism quite a few generations back. That didn't eliminate our name though."

What Roderich was saying finally registered and Elizaveta made a sneer of disgust. "Oh, Roderich, don't tell me you're having issues because of a Jewish name."

"I'm afraid it's true. However, I don't think it will be an issue for long. My father wishes to expand to places like China and America. If the Europeans don't buy from us, the Asians and the Americans will." His mouth tipped up into a smile and he took a sip of tea.

Elizaveta exhaled through her nose and rubbed one of her temples slightly. She was agitated. Not only from Gilbert now, but that fact that her fiancé was now experiencing discriminatory behavior. It seemed like nothing was really going right for her at the moment. But of course, most of her problems landed on Gilbert at this particular moment. He had insulted her, not only verbally, but from leaving. Even though she didn't understand how that counted as an insult, she just felt it did.

She wasn't happy with their parting. She didn't want to be angry with him. She didn't want to leave him knowing he'll have her nasty words in his heart. She didn't want him leaving knowing those will be the last things she heard him say for a long time. He was an idiot. But so was she. She was stubborn, and refused to apologize. It wasn't her fault after all. At least she didn't think it was. But she didn't feel she needed to apologize. It was up to Gilbert to fix this, she decided. Gilbert was leaving the day after tomorrow. He would have time to fix it.

* * *

**Okay, so to be honest I don't really like how this chapter came out, but I knew if I tried to rewrite it, it would take forever to do, so I'm sorry for giving you guys such a boring chapter, I'll try to spice it up a bit next time.**

**On another note, thank you guys for the reviews and favorites, but I'm gonna say something. I know that there are going to be a few typos throughout. I fix everything that I can catch before I upload. When you guys tell me there are typos, I'm more in likely not going to go back and fix them just because I don't have the patience to go through it and pick out every little thing. If something is bugging you so terribly that it needs fixed for whatever reason, then you will need to specifically pick it out and tell me where it is and I will go back and change it for you. Otherwise, I probably won't do it unless someone prompts me to. Sorry.**

**Also, I realize that fanfiction gets rid of my better looking cuts because i guess they want me to use their ugly break line bar. I'll try to fiddle with it to put in breaks so that it's not confusing. Sorry bout that!**

**Anyway, this took a lot longer than I wanted it too, so sorry for the wait. And sorry for making you guys wait and then giving you a dumb chapter. See ya'll next time though!**


	3. Nightingale

_X/X/1942_

_My dearest sestra,_

_I wonder if you are irritated by my letters. You do not respond. Do you read them? Are you even receiving them? I don't mind that you don't write, although it would be nice to know of your well-being every now and again._

_Anyway, I'm sure you've heard about my 'failure' to the army and to the motherland itself. That's what the news says. But hear me, sestra, letting an innocent soul fly free is not a crime. I did not betray my men or my country. I simply did not punish someone who didn't deserve punishment._

_Don't get me wrong, you know as well as I do how much I love this country. But I must admit this propaganda is disgusting. The heartless war machines we've been sent out to kill are not conscious-less demons at all. They are men just like us. They have families and lovers and children. They go to the cinema and swim at the beach and play sports. They sing and dance and drink. They are merry people just as we are. They are flesh and blood just as we are. I would know. Gilbert Beilschmidt is a man fighting for his country just as I am. You may think of me as a traitor, but I think, for the first time in my life, I was humane._

_How can you believe that a set of people, different from us only in language, are such ruthless barbarians? The root of their evil is located in the government. The high command. And you see, this proves that they aren't so different than us after all. That's exactly where Russia's grotesque lie. We are all fed rotten images of the enemy to ignite patriotism. We are fed lies to breed hate. _

_It's sickening really. The government leads us astray of the lives we deserve to be living, yet if you question them, poof. You're done. I love my country, but it's frightening. If it was possible, I would be happy to leave and come back when the communism dies off. I would ask you to run away with me, but I would never put you at risk, you know that._

_I would like to tell you a bit about my 'crime.' Gilbert Beilschmidt, an enemy soldier as I'm sure you've guessed, was captured and taken for questioning. I like to be completely honest with you, sestra, even though my work is confidential. I've tried to relieve you of the gory details of my work as you know, but I'm sure you understand what my duties entail. I was to interrogate Cpl. Beilschmidt, like the many other Germans I've dealt with._

_He came to me. He was there, lying before me, waiting for a crack of bone, or the slice of a scalpel. I was waiting too. Waiting for when the questions would come out of my mouth, waiting to cut him open, gouge an eye, slice an ear. But none of it came. I felt blank. I felt unconscious yet I was still moving, still speaking._

_I will not tell you everything of our encounter for it is something I wish to hold to myself, but I am positive it changed me. Everything I worked for, everything I've studied, everything I'd done just dropped like a rotten apple from a tree. I was not Dr. Braginsky, I was not Lt. Braginsky, I was not the 'evil doctor of the Red Army.' I was, for a split moment, Ivan Braginsky. I was frightened._

_I barely know this Ivan, yet I felt so complete and so warm, sestra, it was delicious in all its terrifying truth. And I refused to lose him._

_The army's need for doctors over powered their need to shoot a traitor. I no longer work as an interrogator and torcher artist. They moved me from my little tent in my scorched field smack into infantry. Do not worry though! They take extra care of people in the medical unit, I'm fine. Although my name has been slandered a bit, things have been alright. People are still afraid of me. And in this situation, that's alright with me._

_I believe I'll be working out like this for a while. I'm going to try my hardest this time. I've gotten away with a lot of things which has kept me at quite a low rank I must admit. Well, low in my book anyway. I am going to work towards a promotion very soon! This means more money for you! _

_I've been meaning to ask, how are things in Ukraine? Considering you haven't written to me since I joined the military, I wouldn't know how the move went and all. I hope you are well and I hope that Ukraine is at least softer to you than Russia has been. I hear there are lots of sunflowers in Ukraine. Are they pretty?_

_I'll leave you for now, sestra. I do not wish to bother you with a long letter, so I've kept it short. Besides, it is getting hard to see. The clouds keep moving over the moon and my last lantern broke earlier today after my tent mate decided to bump into it this morning. I miss having a tent to myself._

_Give Natalya my love and reiterate to her that it is of the brotherly fashion._

_Your most affectionate younger brother,_

_Vanya_

* * *

_X/X/1942_

_Brother,_

_I would advise you to cease writing letters to Irunya as they break her heart every time she reads them. I do not think you understand how much she adores you and worries for you. It is not that she does not wish to write to you, it is just that she cannot bear to. _

_The move was alright. It was a little bit difficult considering it was just the two of us. How cruel are you to leave before we even make it into the new house? There is a bedroom waiting for you here. Irunya cleans it and places fresh sunflowers inside every day. Every day she can find flowers anyway. There is a field nearby. She knew you would adore it. _

_I wait every day for your arrival Vanya. You haven't told us when you would be coming home yet. Sometimes, I wish you would get hurt just so you could be sent home. Then I could help nurse you and everything would be good again. I think it is rather cold that you send letters to Irunya, but not your future wife?_

_I have nothing to say on most of the subject matter of your letters. I wish for you to be home soon. We will marry in the sunflower field. And yes, Irunya may still live with us in our home._

_Your dear fiancée,_

_Natalya_

* * *

**POSTAL TELEGRAPH COMMERCIAL CABELS**

**TELEGRAM**

**50BAC JW 459PM 96COLLECT 4 EXTRA**

**DX SOFIYEVKA USSR**

**NATALYA**

**WE ARE NOT GETTING MARRIED**

**NOVGOROD, LT IVAN BRAGINSKY**

* * *

**Here's sort of a little filler thing to hold people off until I get up to speed with the next chapter. **

**Also, If anyone is interested, I'm looking for someone to read through my chapters and pick out things like typos and other silly errors that I tend to miss. If you want, then send me a pm and we can exchange skypes or something. I don't really work that well, so I'd prefer to do it over skype. I can also give you details of what exactly I'm wanting done in said pm/skype or whatever. **

**Thanks for sticking w me through this = w =**


	4. Robins

_Vienna, Austria_

_1938_

"Likin' your vacation, Gilbert?"

The man in question raised one of his light eyebrows before blowing smoke from his lips to reply.

"Hm, maybe if I wasn't working. Ya know? Like, if I was actually on vacation." He shrugged, "Just a thought."

"Well it's a bit more fun than normal duty, right?" Veit Färber gave his own puff of smoke, a small chuckle escaping with it.

It was true however. It was almost like being on a vacation. Gilbert had only been in Austria one other time when he was younger, and it sure as hell wasn't in a nice place like Vienna. Ever since a certain Roderich Edelstein invaded his life, he'd always had a sour outlook on Vienna, thinking it must be a right nasty place considering it held such a prude as Roderich. But he was sorely mistaken as he found himself staring off at the dazzling architecture around him. He got a few shouts directed his way considering he was supposed to be marching with his face straight forward. It was also a touch lenient out here. He did more walking up and down the streets than real labor. He did have duties to think about, but it was almost like that was put second on his plate.

"Anyway, shouldn't you be with your own squad? How'd you even get out here?" Gilbert asked his friend who was leaning against the shop building they were standing near.

"Actually, they wanted me to some secretarial work out here. Guess something happened to Himmler's old one." Veit shrugged.

Gilbert gave his friend an odd look. That didn't sound as simple as what Färber was making it out to be. However, Gilbert knew better than to really question it. Gilbert had a hard time keeping his mouth shut about certain things, but he definitely knew when to keep his tongue stuck in his mouth.

"On a break." Veit mention before taking one last drag on his cigarette before letting it drop on the sidewalk, grinding it into the pavement with his shiny black boot. "Unfortunately, that break is now over."

Gilbert nodded to him. "Yeah, I should probably get going too." He agreed.

Veit smiled and reached a hand out to the other. "Well then, I may catch you around here some time."

Gilbert took his comrade's hand and wished him luck in his work. They gave each other a quick salute before Veit turned on his heel and began walking off in the direction he had come from before stopping to say hello.

Gilbert knew Veit in boot camp, well, more so in reception. They took their physical test together, waited around together for about two weeks before they were shipped off. Veit was surprisingly sent to a boot camp off in the west. Gilbert never knew why. So his fun with him was short-lived. They rarely saw each other afterwards. Sometimes they would catch a quick glance of each other. This little smoking break in Vienna was the first time they'd had an actual conversation in about a year. It was nice, but again, short, because while their work seemed to be little, they still had places to be and things to do.

Unfortunately, since the Blumenkrieg, Gilbert's really only had one thing on his mind. It was almost two years since he had left home. Almost two years since he'd last spoken to Elizaveta. She was probably here in Austria with that stupid priss. But the thing that bothered him even more was that he knew they lived here in Vienna. The fact they were already married made his stomach churn.

He could hardly focus on his work. His eyes were always scanning the streets, the shop windows, the townhouses. More than once he caught himself lingering around the nicer homes around town. A few times the residents would open their door and greet him with a polite hello. Each time a door would open, his stomach would flutter for a moment, thinking his old-time friend would walk out the door. But each time, he would be disappointed as some Austrian officer's wife would come give him a cheeky smile and ask him if he needed any help with anything.

He never wrote Elizaveta. Well, he would, but then the letter would never make it to the post. He never even ripped it out of his notebook. The leather-bound book stayed safe in his pack, only to be taken out when he felt like writing to his Hungarian girl, only to close the words back up, only ever seen by his eyes. It was a little embarrassing to be honest. He told his mother about this odd little habit of his. His mother proceeded to tell him he was heartbroken. He proceeded to tell her he never loved Elizaveta. His mother then told him he was full of shit and that was the end of that conversation. He never brought it back up.

The sweet relaxation of staying in Vienna didn't last as he was quickly sent back off to Germany to do some work there. He seemed to be moving a lot because shortly after that, he was moved to a battalion off in the east. He was stuck snug into a Prussian unit. He wasn't complaining. It was just a sad thing to be leaving a few of his buds behind. It wasn't goodbye though. Telegrams did rather nicely for communicating to each other.

Gilbert, however, started to feel the exhaustion of his annoyingly tedious work. It was the same thing, over and over. Military exercises, drills, marches. No action. Not that Gilbert was expecting much action. It wasn't war-time. The annexation was the most action he'd really seen since he signed up. However, there was a strange electricity in the atmosphere. The Blumenkrieg brought a strange feeling on most of the troops. It was like they were sinking deeper into a pool of water, waiting for their ears to pop, but it wouldn't come. Needless to say, they felt like something was coming. Something just a tad bigger than what they had expected. Gilbert wasn't sure if he liked this feeling or wished it gone. It was strange.

"Are you alright?"

Gilbert blinked before looking up at one of the men he knew to be part of his unit. Markus Habich. A simple fellow. Kind, outspoken. The typical guy one liked to be around. The two were sitting across from each other at dinner. Gilbert was apparently staring off into space which urged Markus to speak up to his comrade.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Oh yeah? That's a first."

Gilbert tossed a hunk of bread at Markus' head, the other ducking easily with a chuckle.

"I'm just fucking around. What's on your mind?" He asked, taking a sip of his beer, if it could even be called that.

Gilbert shrugged, shoving his plate away slightly, leaning back from the table. "I don't know. Lots of stuff I guess. Have you noticed how… Off it's been, I guess?"

Markus cocked his head to the side slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean like… there's something different. In the air I guess. I ain't one of those philosophical asses, but I mean seriously. It's thick around here."

Markus blinked then, sitting up and nodding. "Oh, yeah, I know what you mean. Lots of guys have felt it. Some say it's the spark of an oncoming war. I don't really believe that load though. Something is definitely up though."

Gilbert huffed some air through his nostrils before looking down at the table top in thought. "What could it be? It's bothering the hell out of me." He looked up to Markus with his red eyes. "Makes me think more than I'm used to." He smirked.

Markus laughed. "Man, something's gotta be wrong to make you start thinking!"

The two laughed a moment, but the sound soon died off. Markus looked at Gilbert seriously. "Are you as worried as I am?"

Gilbert nodded, running a hand through his hair. "Who wouldn't be?"

Markus nodded, finished off his beer and gathered up his plate and cup. "It might get cleared up, it might not. I guess we'll just have to wait and see." He said as he started waltzing off to return his dinner supplies to the kitchen. Gilbert sighed. It was true. He'd just have to wait and see. However, he didn't think it'd take too long before he knew what it was.

* * *

_England_

_1939_

"Elizaveta."

No answer was given as the woman in question continued to stare out the window. It was scenery she wasn't used to of course. Watching the rain fall on the grass and just beyond, the waves crashing against the cliff side which was now the end of her back yard was all she seemed to do nowadays. All I seemed to do here was storm and storm.

"Elizaveta," the voice prodded again, finally seeming to gain some sort of surfacing of the Hungarian's being, "We're supposed to be there in an hour, Elizaveta, and you haven't even bathed yet. What's the issue?"

Liz scrunched her nose at her husband's nagging. She turned her head from the window to stare at him. His cheeks were dusting a light red from his growing irritation. He was in the process of buttoning up his shirt, offering her a glance of the pale skin beneath. She once found his body desirable. That was a year ago. She hadn't slept with her husband for a year of the two years of their marriage. She decided that his loss of sex was one of the reasons for his growing intolerance of her, because that was how men worked. But then again, it could in fact be her rather sour attitude towards him that had something to do with it.

She wasn't sure about when their marriage began to fall apart. She was married to him two months after Gilbert's departing and for a moment, she thought that she would truly be happy. Not only did she find her husband attractive in both his body and personality, she also enjoyed all the benefits of being a wealthy heir's wife. She was content with her life and her choices. But then, that's when things began to actually bother her. Roderich had little quirks, like all humans do, that eventually grew to annoy her. At first she was alright with this, it was to be expected of a married couple. It just went bad once those quirks annoyed her to the point of hatred.

When she began hating her husband's habits, she didn't know, but she didn't know that the hatred of these things soon let to the hatred of him, and that hatred led to a hatred of the lifestyle that he introduced to her. Soon enough, she found herself miserably trapped in a life she didn't think she had signed up for, but on the contrary, she did.

Anyway, the irritation led to a lack of communication, a lack of trust, and a lack of sex which of course was what most functioning marriages needed. She began pressing him with questions more and more about where he'd been, what he'd been doing, who he was with. She noticed he had picked up a rather nasty smoking habit which bothered her so she began nagging him about that. When he would try to confront her about her apparent spending problem (which she had picked up now that she actually had money to spend) she would all but explode, trying to turn the situation around to make him the enemy of course. And it all just became worse when they had to leave Austria.

At the mention of a possible Nazi invasion, they had to pack up and leave even if it wasn't true. Of course anti-Semitism was rampant in Austria even before the war, but it wasn't enough to drive the Edelstein's from a business they held for 80 years now. But when the Nazi's were brought into it, they immediately left for England where Roderich's parents had a summer home.

Elizaveta didn't understand why they would keep a summer home in England. All it did was rain. It was muddy, the city was disgusting, she didn't like leaving the house which left her staring out at the sea where the house was located. The move had of course put more tensions to her and Roderich's marriage, but even then, he started to grow worried for her. She wouldn't leave, even for parties or for a drink of all things. When he tried talking to her about it, all he received for his kindness was acid words and a prompt storming off to their shared bedroom in which he knew he wouldn't be welcome for the night.

Since then, Roderich had tried to get her out of the house to the point of physically carrying her out to the car even, but the only thing that would do was cause him the embarrassment of a life time as she would do anything in her power to make it the worst evening of Roderich's life. Which was why he was a little wary about taking her out tonight. She had surprisingly agreed to go, yet as the evening loomed before them, there she was, still sitting at their bedroom window with a cup of coffee in her hand.

"At least brush your hair for me."

It was meant as a joke but he was quickly given a poisonous glare. His own eyes narrowed and he exhaled through his nose, walking to the wardrobe. He dug out one of Elizaveta's nicer evening gowns and laid it out on the bed.

"I thought you liked the opera," he said as he even went about the task of picking her jewelry out for her.

"I like the German opera. Not whatever these English call opera." She waved her hand in the air and turned back to the window.

"But you promised me you would come tonight. You know how important it is. We have to set ground here and the only way we can do that right now is with a successful partnership. How bad would it look if I showed up only to say that my wife stayed home because she hated your opera?"

Elizaveta was silent.

"Elizaveta." His voice was raised and stern.

She quickly stood from the window sill, slamming her cup on the table that was by her, about spilling the dark liquid inside.

"I heard you." She shot back, stomping over to the gown, taking a glance before stripping her current clothing to change.

"Thank you." He said, walking over to find a vest for himself.

"I'm not doing this for you." She said, hesitating for a moment before sliding her dress over her head.

He understood what she meant then and he didn't know whether he should have been angry or sad. Of course she wasn't doing this for him. She was doing it because if she didn't the money would be gone, and as of right now it appeared as though she would rather die than go back to a life of little money. As of now, he assumed that was the only reason she was staying with him. And despite Roderich's own ill feelings towards her, he didn't exactly have the heart to divorce her either, sacrificing his happiness. But what did that even do? She wasn't happy either and he didn't know how to make her happy. Hell, he didn't even know what made her unhappy!

He put a jacket on over his vest and placed his glasses upon his nose before heading towards their bedroom door.

"Fifteen minutes please."

And like that he was gone, leaving her to her own devices. She contemplated going back to the sill to make him wait until he left in an angry huff to meet Mr. Kirkland by himself. But she already had her dress on and her laziness got the better of her so she went and put in the pearl earrings he had picked for her along with a matching bracelet before heading out to meet him in the foyer.

* * *

_Poland_

_1939_

Gunshots rang in Gilbert's head as he stayed hunched behind a building, reloading his rifle with a learned quickness before taking a breath and running back out into the street. No one honestly expected a Polish resistance, yet here they were, fighting to put it down. And honestly, even with the fear of death looming over your shoulders, one could even say it was _easy._ Only because the force was of course a rag-tag rebellious group. Compared to the efficiency of the German military, it was almost a laughing matter.

Gilbert's company had quickly cleared out the area and were heading on to the next. They wouldn't stop until the Pols were met with death or until a surrender was heard.

Friedrich breathed and walked up along side Gilbert, using his cap to fan at himself.

"Shit, Gil, I don't even want to think of what would happen if the Slavs got into this."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow and glanced over at his friend, slinging his rifle over his shoulder.

"What makes you think they would? Where the hell were you when they agreed to a friendship with us?"

Friedrich grimaced slightly, "You see, Gilbert, I think that whole pact smelt a little funny. I mean, the Führer hates them. And I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual."

"Yeah, but they had a thing in common. They both hate Poland."

The blonde shrugged, "I guess that's true, but still. I don't really like the idea. I just don't feel like a friendship with Communists is going to last very long."

"Why don't you stop your idle chat and get your guns ready before you're shot."

The two men swung their rifles back to the ready when their commanding officer decided to put his two cents in.

Now, the Polish resistance was defeated, and Gilbert and Friedrich were sitting in the grass setting up a tent for camp (mostly goofing off than doing their actual work) when something a little stomach wrenching happened. No, it was not a declaration of war from Stalin himself, but it was from Germany's two neighbors France and England. Right after the report was read, the two soldier's looked at each other.

"See, I told you something was going to happen. Either someone hates the Pols or they're gonna come save their helpless asses."

Gilbert shook his head, lifting a finger. "No, you said you thought the Russian's were going to get in on this. Now tell me, what do you think is going to happen with France and England on the stage."

Friedrich looking down to the rope in his hands as he realized he had been wringing it and his hands were turning red.

"Well, obviously nothing good-"

"Well no shit, but I mean, what do you think it's going to be like?"

Friedrich's eyebrows pulled together as he looked back up to Gilbert. "What do you mean…"

"I mean…" Gilbert dropped what he was doing and stood, almost seeming like he was going to end the conversation there.

"I mean killing frogs and teacups. Do you think they'll be like a Polish resistance or something to be reckoned with?"

Friedrich stood with his friend as they seemed to be abandoning their lopsided tent. He watched as Gilbert took a cigarette he had behind his ear and lit it, the smoke wafting up above him only to be blown in Friedrich's face by the wind.

"Well obviously they aren't going to be like a rebellion. They have actual militaries too, Gilbert, we aren't the only ones."

"Well no shit. I'm just wondering if the rumors are true." He took another drag off his cigarette.

"If they are, then this is going to be just as easy as a Polish rebellion."

* * *

A deep frown was set on Gilbert's face as he stared at the papers in his hands. His face quickly distorted and he crunched the papers and threw them to the street. Out of all the things that could happen, he did not want this to happen.

The letter was from his younger brother, Ludwig, and it described his excitement about the draft and how he can finally be part of Germany's stronghold. Any other time, Gilbert would be happy because Ludwig was happy, but since his initial joining of the military, Gilbert learned a thing or two about Hitler's 'Germany.' It was not something he wanted his brother subjected to.

But right now, even with all the aggravation inside him, Gilbert didn't feel he could sit and write. So Ludwig's letter was left behind to be blown away with the wind and Gilbert himself trucked off down the street.

Poland was different from the Rhineland, Austria, the Sudetenland. While the other bits that Hitler took were in fact pieces of Germany, Poland was different. Poland was not a piece of Germany. Germanics were not the majority here. The Germans were not wanted here, not saying the Germans were wanted elsewhere, but this place held a particular animosity. The invasion was under the pretense of Hitler wanting the northern strip of Poland by the sea to unite Germany with Prussia. The rejection of Hitler's wishes didn't sit too well with him, so in he went regardless and now there was a war declared on Germany.

Gilbert didn't like it here and was excited for when he would be sent back home, but you never knew now a days. They give you a date of when you'd be leaving and suddenly they extend it, so there you are stuck in a foreign country that doesn't want you there as much as you don't want to be there.

However, Gilbert did in fact entertain Hitler's idea of wanting to unite Germany and Prussia. The old kingdom had a special place in Gilbert's heart. Prussia was his birthplace and while he wasn't raised there, his mother took him, and then his brother, to the small country a lot to visit their grandparents. A few times, Gilbert got to spend his summers there with his father's parents in the country. It was a nice change from the busy streets of Bremen.

Perhaps it was his bias that made him think the invasion of Poland had reason. He didn't think it fair that they would deny them the chance to unite with Prussia. For a little bit, he thought they were being greedy for land, but then he soon found how hypocritical that was.

Originally, it wasn't like him to question Germany's motives, but lately, he found himself thinking more and more on the subject. What he found right or wrong with what they were doing. Dangerous thinking indeed. Then again, he was never the careful sort.

"Gilbert! What's got you down?"

The pale man looked up when his name was called, finding his good friend stalking down the street toward him. He gave a soft smile, relieved to get his mind occupied with something else.

"Friedrich…" He almost breathed out the name as the blonde male came up to give him a firm hand shake and bit of a rough hug. However, he was still on about wondering why Gilbert was looking so solemn as he walked down the street. Gilbert only had expressions like that when he was deep in thought with something he didn't much want to think about.

It had been a few months since their little chat back at camp after they crushed the Polish rebellion. Seeing Friedrich again was nice considering Gilbert had thought he had probably been sent home by now, but it was quite on the contrary.

Telling Friedrich what he had just read though wasn't really number one on Gilbert's to-do list, so he simply ignored the other's first question. He opened his mouth to ask how the other had been before he was cut off.

"Hey, I'm being sent off to the North."

Gilbert blinked for a moment, taken a little off guard by what his friend was saying.

"What?"

"Yeah! The Führer is having a lot of us travel back to defend the Western front. But he's having us take the long way. We're going to the North."

Gilbert stared at Friedrich a moment before suddenly shaking his head and giving a half-hearted smile.

"That's… great? I guess." Obviously Friedrich was excited about it, so who was he to dampen his mood?

Friedrich gave him a hard pat on the shoulder. "It was good to see you Gilbert, but I really have to get going. Chin up, you looked like a rain cloud opened above you a minute ago." He gave one of his classic smiles before walking off, giving Gilbert a wave as he did so.

Gilbert gave a hesitant wave in return, a little dizzy from the quick exchange.

* * *

**Hey, so sorry about the long wait. I got really busy with work even though it's summer vacation and then I had to battle some crappy writer's block which I still kind of have if you can't tell.**

**I'm sorry about this story being confusing and boring as of right now but these are sort of necessary components for the story to go in the direction that I want it too even if I'm not happy with the chapters building up to it. By the next chapter or after, it should be rolling though and hopefully it'll be a straight and narrow path then.**

**Sorry about this particular chapter being a little awkward and having an awkward ending it's just whatever.**

**Also forgive weird typos and things. If you see something please let me know so I can fix it just don't be rude about it.**

**Fair winds until next time.**


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